NLC to FG: Emulate states that pay above N70,000 minimum wage

•Says no road safety without fair wages

•Laments highways becoming corridors of death

THE Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has taunted the federal Government over its continued payment of what it described as poverty wages, challenging it to emulate state governments that have already increased workers’ salaries in line with prevailing economic realities.

In a paper sent to the 8th Annual Lecture Series of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, at State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, NLC President, Joe Ajaero, declared that Nigeria could not achieve meaningful road safety without fair wages for FRSC officers and Nigerian workers.

He declared:  “We demand a pay rise for officers, rank-and-file members of the FRSC, and indeed all Nigerian workers—not the brazen and insensitive attempt to further fatten the pockets of political office holders. 

"FRSC officers, who risk their lives daily on our highways and stand for long hours under scorching sun and pounding rain, deserve nothing less than decent salaries and dignified welfare.

“We see road safety as inseparable from the dignity of labour and the welfare of citizens. Workers who toil to build this nation should not be condemned to untimely deaths on our roads because of poor infrastructure, inadequate mass transit, or a reckless driving culture.

“This is why the congress believes that deeper collaboration between the FRSC and trade unions is imperative. Together, we can build a culture of safety, responsibility, and respect for human life on our highways.

"Your work is to society, and we must work together to make our society safer and more secure so that we can each perform our duties effectively and efficiently.

“Road safety is about more than avoiding accidents; it is about building a society where human life is placed above profit, expediency, or neglect. The Nigeria Labour Congress stands ready to partner with the FRSC to ensure our highways become corridors of safety, not corridors of death.

“At inception the FRSC was rightly celebrated as an exceptional institution—different from the usual rot, impunity, and corruption that trailed many paramilitary agencies at that time. 

"But in recent times, public perception has begun to shift dangerously, with citizens fearing the Corps may be drifting into becoming just another agent of extortion. We urge the Corps to return to its pristine tradition of integrity, professionalism, and public trust. That is the only way partnerships—local and global—can yield optimal performance.

“Your work, which we commend, is not just technical but profoundly social. Every accident prevented is not merely a statistic reduced; it is a family saved from grief, a worker spared from premature death, and a nation preserved from needless loss of productive capacity.

“The NLC salutes the FRSC for its service and urges that beyond enforcement, the Corps must join voices with us in demanding investments in mass transit, infrastructure renewal, and social protection.  

“Without basic road infrastructure, your work becomes more tedious; and without citizens who are of sound mind because government has created an enabling environment for better welfare—our roads will be filled with increasingly emotionally drained users with greater tendencies to endanger themselves and others.

“It is worrying that while some state governors, such as those of Imo and Ebonyi, have already acknowledged the inadequacy of the N70,000 national minimum wage and boldly raised it to N104,000, federal institutions still cling to poverty wages for their operatives.

“If state governments can act with courage, the Federal Government has no excuse. To continue to deny FRSC personnel and Nigerian workers fair wages is to fuel frustration on our roads and deepen social injustice.”

Culled from Vanguard